02/05/2026
Thank you Share Your Wishes for this 💖
Thanks to a courageous family agreeing to organ donation Janka received her shiny lungs just over 13 years ago, and today she marks her 44th birthday.
Happy Birthday Janka from us all & we hope you are having the best day as you deserve. 🥳
“Last month, I celebrated 13 years with my transplanted lungs.
An incredible milestone—especially when I think back to late 2012, when I was assessed for the transplant waiting list and told the average lifespan of donor lungs was six years.
One year survival: 80%.
Five years: 50%.
After that… no real statistics. For obvious reasons.
But even six years sounded like a miracle.
At that point, I would have gone through all of it for just one single day—one day of breathing without struggle. Without the coughing fits that left me exhausted and unable to keep food down. Without the constant feeling of heavy weight pressing on my chest, stopping me from taking in enough oxygen.
I couldn’t have imagined that I’d be here today. Sitting with three dogs on my lap, enjoying a cup of tea, about to head out to the farm to check on our sheep.
Over a decade with my “new” lungs—and what a decade it has been.
There have been endings. The breakdown of a long-term relationship.
Loss. Feeling lost.
But also new beginnings. New adventures.
Old and new friends who never stopped cheering me on.
I’ve taken leaps of faith. Taken chances. Found love again—and learned how to truly love life.
I’ve discovered strength I didn’t know I had. Found new passions, new sports, and even a competitive edge—representing this country on an international stage, raising awareness for organ donation, and achieving what once felt impossible: winning medals at the World Transplant Games.
I’ve planned my wedding instead of a funeral.
I’ve lived through a pandemic that threatened this precious extra life I try so hard to protect—feeling isolation and frustration but also finding support in the most unexpected places.
I’ve walked away from a job that didn’t value my health and taken a leap into self-employment—now working with dogs and their owners, something I love deeply.
And at the end of 2025, my husband and I took on 22 acres of land to build something meaningful: a small-scale sheep farm focused on ethical meat production, community support, outdoor learning, nature-based activities, and animal-assisted learning for children and young people with SEN.
I’m still learning. Still growing. Still taking on new challenges. And today, I turn 44.
An age I never thought I’d reach, having been born with cystic fibrosis.
An age I would never have seen without my donor.
A whole decade—and more—of life I wouldn’t have had.
So today is about gratitude.
For life.
For second chances.
For every breath.
In the UK, we now have an opt-out system for organ donation—but it still matters so much that your loved ones know your wishes.
Please don’t leave them guessing. Have the conversation.
Because behind every transplant recipient is a family who said yes. And people like me, who get a second chance at life because of it.
Thank you.”
Please about your decisions with your loved ones, say and register your decision at NHS Organ Donation
